Sherlock Returns
by DoctorWhoAndTorchwoodMad
Summary: Everyone has a take on how Sherlock fakes his death and how he will return and so on, this is my take on it. I'll add chapters as often as I can, each will most likely vary in length, do be patient with me.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

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Three years had passed by, the dreams that haunted the ex-army doctor's mind about what had happened with Sherlock and the fall did not invade so much, nor the ones of the war. Apparently Sherlock had thought ahead and had things arranged, so if John did want to stay in the flat, so should anything happen, his half was very much taken care of, that was if John wished to stay. It had been awfully tempting to move out, but he didn't have the heart to leave Ms Hudson on her own, besides that, the flat held all his memories with his mad friend and though at first it had been hard, now he found some welcoming. He still worked at the clinic, though now he found he was able to do so more often, he would also occasionally help out Lestrade, he may not have the mind of Sherlock Holmes but he was clever and his knowledge proved helpful more than once and it allowed him to stay in contact easier. He'd not heard from Mycroft much in the past years and even when they had spoken it was not for very long, he was grateful to Greg and Ms Hudson, they'd supported him well.

Today was going to be hard though, less hard than previous years but hard all the same, it was the anniversary of the fall, and annoyingly his day off, he didn't really want to stay in the flat either but according to Molly, who he saw frequently due to her still working at Bart's and taking care of bodies he looked over, there was something he should see. First he had gone to see Sherlock's grave, at first he'd done so every day and talked to it as well, in firm belief his friend was going to somehow come back to him. Now he'd lost that, he still went but not as frequently and he didn't talk to the grave stone any longer either. He did however; make a point of going on this day for the past few years. People had asked if he wanted them to go with him but he refused, he liked the time he had on his own at the graveside. He'd stayed at the graveside a little while, tidied it and added more flowers, still silently wishing he did not have to, though knowing it was not possible.

It'd taken him little less than half an hour to get to Bart's to meet Molly, he found himself curious as he always did when he stepped through those doors as to what exactly she wanted him to see. "Hello Molly, where's this thing you want me to see then?" he asked simply, she smiled rather softly at him, she wanted so much to yell and shake him, tell him what it was, but she could not, she'd promised not to, instead she just had to lead him to where he was supposed to go. "It's right this way, you should prepare yourself though, this will be a bit of a shock" she answered after a short while, nodding in the direction that she meant before heading that way, the ex-army doctor following on closely behind her. She felt nervous, so very nervous, she'd no idea how he was going to react to this and she felt guilty too, for not saying but it was for the best that she didn't.

She'd stopped outside small double doors that often lead into where a body was held on a slab "Right in there" she said simply. John raised a brow slightly, it wasn't very often Molly didn't come inside with him and it made him even more curious as to what he was going to see in there "Don't you want to come in with me?" he asked simply, as he did every time she stopped there "No, I've seen what I need to, you can tell me about it later though if you want" she answered finding herself awfully unsure if he would want to talk to her at all after this, he simply shrugged before nodding and moving into the dimly lit room. Molly had been ordered to stay away, John most probably not going to react well and it was best she waited until he was slightly calmer to go and talk to him. Or so Sherlock had told her anyway, he'd apologized too, he had put her in an incredibly horrible position ever since the moment he'd faked his death with a lot of help from her, only she knew of it and knew why he'd done it, though soon that would be very different.


	2. Chapter 2

It was fair to say that when John Watson entered those double doors into that dimly lit room he'd grown so accustomed to, he expected to see a lifeless body as always, covered in all kinds of marks, he didn't always like it but he was a doctor and those were the kinds of things you saw in a morgue. Therefore when his eyes landed upon Sherlock, breathing and with no real proof of him ever being hurt upon his pale features, he found the world around him came to a screeching halt, so many nightmares had started like this, maybe not in this place but in many others, by the end Sherlock was still gone, this felt like a dream, though somehow it didn't too. Despite that, he didn't dare believe it, he swallowed slightly and moved forwards cautiously. "You believe me to be a dream, I can assure you I'm not" Sherlock stated, the sudden voice made John jump slightly and back off just a little, his eyes scanning him again.

It took only moments for an angered look to cross John's features and his fist hit into Sherlock quickly and harshly, the trace amount of blood he'd caused to leave the man seeming to be that much more of a confirmation he was there, real and still alive. "Three years!" he snapped angrily though somehow tears managed to find their way into his eyes "You let me think you were dead for the three god damn years! Ms Hudson, Lestrade, do you have any idea how much it weighed on us?" he added, his tone still high and angry. "Wait a minute" he paused and glanced back, soon realizing why Molly wouldn't enter, his eyes quickly flicking towards Sherlock again "She knew?" he asked, a tone of hurt moving into his voice, he was meant to have been the man's best friend and he'd trusted Molly with this and not him.

"Yes, I can count" Sherlock answered simply, now John's small rant was over, his tone as dry as ever which of course had resulted in a threatening glare from the ex-army doctor that said 'I will hit you again'. "I can't say sorry, for one I doubt you'd believe me and for another I don't think I could say it enough times" he added simply "Brilliant deduction" John answered bluntly. "Your own deduction skills are slightly better" he mused before glancing briefly to the doors "I made Molly promise not to tell any of you, none of you could know, no one could, not until it was safe" he explained. As angry as he was, that had made John curious, Sherlock never really proved he cared, this seemed like he did, just a bit "What do you mean, until it was safe?" he asked, his tone was still high but he'd managed to calm it. Sherlock took in a breath and removed his phone from his pocket, holding it out to John "What do I want this for?" he asked.

Sherlock had to roll his eyes at his lack of being able to guess why, obviously he'd had it on the roof, he'd said goodbye to John via it, he had however been very clever, kept it hidden until that time and recorded everything that happened on the roof, even if it was sometimes hidden in a place it would catch only blackness, the entire conversation was still there."Just take it and play the recording will you," he answered simply, John narrowed his eyes though he took the phone from him and watched, or rather listened to it. So many things rushed to him then, he understood what Sherlock had done for them all and he felt special the man did such a thing, he also felt slightly guilty for hitting him in that moment too "I don't understand though, if you had this all this time, why wait until now?" he asked, moving closer to Sherlock and handing his phone back to him "Technically Molly had the phone, but either way, the proof had to wait, Moriarty's men were still around, they all had to be taken out before this could be given as evidence" he answered. "She helped you fake it didn't she?" he asked and Sherlock merely nodded his head.

John shifted and moved his hands to rest on Sherlock's face, his fingers brushing it to make sure he'd done no real damage when he'd hit him, though Sherlock had steered his head away quickly at first he soon realized the hands were helping, not hurting "You shouldn't feel guilty, your reaction was a normal one" Sherlock stated and John smiled "Same old Sherlock" he mused simply and moved to sit next to the man who'd not moved from the small slab that was pulled out, no body was on it though, none but himself and Sherlock. "What did you do?" John asked "Just kept my head low and stayed out of sight" he answered simply "So who else knows then? He asked "No one yet, Lestrade is next on my list" he answered "You told me first?" John asked, a small amount of warmth rushing to his heart.

"Of course, I didn't want to tell Lestrade first, hed tell others and it'd be everywhere, you'd find out and you'd be angrier and sad too" he responded. John laughed slightly and shook his head, he didn't care, he'd waited quite long enough, he threw his arms around the tall detective and nuzzled into his shoulder "I missed you so much" he whispered simply, his voice slightly off for the tears now fell from his eyes. First, Sherlock had tensed, though he slowly relaxed and looped his arms back around John "I missed you too" he responded, then he simply went silent and allowed himself to si in the embrace with John for as long as the other man needed. After a few moments, John had stopped his tears and moved away somewhat reluctantly from the other man "Never leave again" he said simply "I promise" the detective answered simply, and he'd keep this one, because his friend needed him to.

John soon took a breath and stood to his feet "Tell you what, you can explain to me how exactly you don't seem to have a scratch on you when we get home" he said "Home?" Sherlock questioned, frowning deeply in confusion, somehow the look amused John and he found himself smiling again, albeit in a slightly weak manner "You did promise you'd not leave again and I can help make sure of that if you come back with me" he answered "Why would you want me back with you?" he asked simply "You are my best friend, you idiot, you're back and I'd very much like you back at home with me too" he answered,nudging him slightly "You do want to?" he soon asked, not he panicked, what if he actually didn't?

Sherlock seemed to sense the panic and paranoia and quickly moved to his feet, placing his hand briefly on John's shoulder "Of course, so long as you're sure" he answered, John visibly relaxed and allowed a loud sigh of refile past his lips before nodding and smiling sightly again "Ms Hudson is going to mother you like crazy" he stated, that made Sherlock groan slightly and in turn it made John chuckle. He headed out and Sherlock followed on, John quickly paused and glanced to Molly "We'll talk properly later, but thankyou" he said simply before moving off, she was relieved the man had not been angry and she would gladly talk to him later. Now, John just wanted to return to 221B with Sherlock and let Ms Hudson mother him, not to mention get more answers. It'd be odd for a while but not nearly as odd as it had been without him.


End file.
